Carl Froch has admitted that he may end up fighting George Groves in the near future, as Groves moves in position to become the mandatory challenger for Froch's WBA strap.

Froch, annoyed by some of Groves' comments in the media, had previously said that he would deny the Hammersmith fighter a domestic meeting unless he showed more respect. But 'The Cobra' has now acknowledged that a Groves meeting could occur as soon as later this year, if negotiations prove straightforward.

Groves is currently ranked second in the WBA's super-middleweight rankings, with only Stanyslav Kashtanov ahead of him and the divisional champ.

"I don't know how easy it is to make the Groves fight," Froch said. "Of course it's winnable, as is every fight.

"It's definitely a fight I want. I've said before I'm not just going to give him a shot, but if he becomes mandatory - which I think he might do by default because of guys above him being injured or moving in weight - then yes."

Plenty of fighters have come out and expressed an interest in taking on Froch, with light-heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson the latest to join the ranks.

Stevenson made the boxing world sit up and take notice after he knocked out Chad Dawson inside two rounds to take Dawson's world title recently, and has said he is ready and willing to do the same to Froch - at the Nottingham fighter's preferred weight, too.

"I can make 168 and go to England to knock him out. I don't have a problem doing that. He has a perfect style for me."

Long-term, however, Froch wants a rematch with Andre Ward. With that meeting likely to be a few fights away, he will plot his fights with an eventual meeting with the division's undisputed top dog in mind.

"The best win for me now and the only win that would be totally satisfying for me would be to rematch Andre Ward," said Froch. "But I don't think that is in our immediate plans, that will be two or three fights down the road.

"I've got mandatory obligations with the IBF and I'm now WBA champion. So I'm just going to see what pans out and what opens up."